back to article Trump's immigration clampdown has Silicon Valley techies fearing for their house prices

America's technology world is still trying to sort out the kerfuffle caused by President Trump's anti-refugee and seemingly anti-Muslim immigration crackdown. Some engineers aren't just worried about losing their residency rights – they're also concerned about financial ruin. Earlier this week, an Apple staffer suggested to …

  1. cd

    Good to hear that the realtors have the best interests of the nation at heart. As always. Best people on the planet if you have money, do anything for you.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. a_yank_lurker

    Boo Hoo

    The SF and Silicon Valley housing prices have more to do with the local zoning and refusal to allow building of adequate housing. The housing prices there are basically unaffordable for most whether renting or owning. They should be worried about a price bubble bursting because the underlying factors indicate that market is unsustainable. I can live reasonably comfortably on very good US salary in many US cities but can not afford those prices. Other than the cachet of working in Silicon Valley there is no reason for me to even consider taking a job there unless the company allows 100% teleworking.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Boo Hoo

      Especially since Silicon Valley played no small part in the rise of Trump himself. Yes its quite some feat to build a multi billion dollar company that will fit in a small office but then again not everyone everywhere will share your love of disruption and broccoli pizza.

  3. Mystic Megabyte
    Mushroom

    Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

    I would not bet on house prices increasing. An interesting quote from Bannon would seem to indicate that there will soon be empty houses everywhere.

    I already live on a remote island (elevation >20mtrs) so I'm just going to stock up on fishing tackle.

    Good luck everyone, we will all need some soon.

    Edit: forgot to mention that Bannon has a sort of reverse Dorian Grey effect. In his attic there's a painting of a handsome young fellow :)

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/22/steve-bannon-trump-s-top-guy-told-me-he-was-a-leninist.html

    1. Baldy50

      Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

      The DB, but LOL anyway, Taaa!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: America killed over 20 million people in 37 nations

      The real evil empire

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

      MM, I looked at your link trashing Bannon and it's just what I expected, an unsupported smear by one guy that claims outrageous stuff. Anyone can do that sort of thing, but most of us have too much integrity.

      This Radosh fellow's only contact with Bannon was at a book signing. Talk about insider info! Radosh claims he called Bannon about the hit piece he was going to write on the guy, and Bannon couldn't even remember him (this according to the smearer). Is this what you consider worthy of link spreading? Really? You need to get off that island of yours a little more often.

      One other thing; That trash article doesn't accept comments. I wouldn't either if I were Radosh, because the thread would be filled by spittle-flecked leftists like him, but without his ability to appear rational in print. Also there would be plenty of people pointing out the absurdity of his claims, and that would never do.

      1. Mystic Megabyte
        Linux

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :( @BJ

        >>You need to get off that island of yours a little more often.

        After a quick count I seem to have been to 26 different countries, some multiple times. Other than the UK I have lived and worked in four of them. My current work takes me around the UK, sometimes I'm up to a month away in a particular location.

        Anyway I now see that Trump has helped his rich friends get richer. Do not be fooled by the "Trickle down" theory, Thatcher already did that in the UK. The money never gets to the workers at the bottom of the pile, it goes sideways into a tax haven.

        http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/trump-plans-gut-dodd-frank-because-his-friends-just-cant-borrow-money

        1. Nolveys
          Childcatcher

          Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :( @BJ

          Do not be fooled by the "Trickle down" theory, Thatcher already did that in the UK. The money never gets to the workers at the bottom of the pile

          You thought it was money that was supposed to trickle down?

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

        MM, I looked at your link trashing Bannon and it's just what I expected, an unsupported smear by one guy that claims outrageous stuff.

        THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

      4. jedisnon

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

        Hmmmm...according to Snopes they can't find evidence for this exact quote, but they did find evidence of plenty of other anti-establishment statements.

        Then there is the small matter of him being a white-supremacist who thinks that satan and Darth Vader are good role-models, so while you may disagree with the Lenin quote, your defence of him suggests a certain lack of objectivity.

        Perhaps the so-called "president" should stop listening to such a hateful figure.

      5. Alt C

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

        BJ - like the spittle flecked rant that you posted a few days ago that the mods felt needed to be deleted?

        BTW why did Trump feel the need to twit about the Louvre but not the right wing nut job in Canada? kind of hints at his agenda don't you think - oh and the small fact since 9/11 more Americans have been killed by Right wing extremists lets put that on the back burner as well eh?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

          > "BJ - like the spittle flecked rant that you posted a few days ago that the mods felt needed to be deleted?"

          I told Chirgwin where he could put his baseless but vicious racism charge against President Trump, and he deleted it. If you want to call that a "rant," that's your concern. You are of a kind with him, apparently.

          I've been instructed here that this is "just the way we Brits do politics" but I'm not buying that line. It always seems that conservatives seem to be the target of media's acid on both side of the pond, and for the same reason; The Left controls most of the media. Bias is as bias does.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

            The left controls most of the media? Not in the UK. If you think that's the case you are delusional, or unable to see past the nose on the end of your face, has the 10 gallon hat slipped over your eyes?

        2. HausWolf

          Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

          The most interesting thing is the fellow from the Louvre incident is from Egypt, a country not on trumps banned list. But it is a country he has a business interests in.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

      Mao: amateur

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

      I already live on a remote island (elevation >20mtrs) so I'm just going to stock up on fishing tackle.

      The entire island has an elevation of greater than 20m above sea level?

      Pretty impressive.

      1. asdf
        Trollface

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

        >The entire island has an elevation of greater than 20m above sea level?

        Larry Niven's Plateau? Of course then it would be km(s) above sea level.

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :(

        "Pretty impressive."

        Not really. There are plenty of bodies of water with surfaces greater than 20m above sea level. Many of these have lots of islands in them. Some are even habitable.

      3. Mystic Megabyte

        Re: Stalin killed ~20 million of his own people :( @AC

        I live here:

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11940936/Mysterious-floating-city-appears-in-the-sky-over-China.html

  4. Stevie

    Bah!

    Goes utterly bonkers?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Bah!

      Stevie beat me to it -- unless the new president goes utterly bonkers?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Bah!

        I see Trump being a laser-focused conservative leader. That's "bonkers" in your book I guess.

        On the other hand, the Leftists of the world really ARE going bonkers. I guess that when you believe your PC ideology is going to be ascendant forever, and suddenly it all comes apart like cheap toilet paper it is a bit shocking, isn't it. ;-/

        1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

          Re: Bah!

          I see Trump being a laser-focused conservative leader

          Laser focused on his interests - yep, that's for sure. Not anything else.

          I will believe there is anything else when the visa ban includes Saudi Arabia.

          1. kmac499

            Re: Bah!

            'I see Trump being a laser-focused conservative leader'

            No he's a CEO and as IT workers a lot of us will have to cone into direct contact with people like him.

            (Being a techy gets you in the office of people well above your pay grade even if only tro turn their PC on) IMHO some CEO's are not people you would want to spend an evening down the pub with. They can be inflexible thin skinned bullies with on over inflated opinion of their own abilities, Donald is definitely from that end of the gene pool.

            Which means that he will be laser focused until he doesn't get his own way, Then he will blame everyone else and move on.. The huge difference any CEO has to cope with when moving to a public office job is that they cannot fire their peers. In the UK a prime minister can sack a minister but they remain MPs. In the US Donald will come up against Congress, He is not used to people standing up to him in public and hates being made fun of.

            Which is why I sign off All Hail El Douché

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Bah!

            I will believe there is anything else when the visa ban includes Saudi Arabia.

            Why would the ban include Saudi Arabia? It's not a war-torn country with a strong ISIL presence, is it?

            Or are you so deeply entrenched in identity politics that you can't see past the "majority muslim" narrative that the BBC seem to needlessly tack on to every mention of the affected countries?

            1. DavCrav

              Re: Bah!

              "Why would the ban include Saudi Arabia? It's not a war-torn country with a strong ISIL presence, is it?"

              You mean like Iran? Give over, he means because Saudi Arabia is the origin of most of the 9/11 bombers, and the origin of Wahhabism, one of the main causes of Islamic extremism.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Bah!

                The point is, SA is not a source of Islamic refugees at the moment.

                1. hplasm
                  Meh

                  Re: Bah!

                  "The point is, SA is not a source of Islamic refugees at the moment."

                  Nor are they a sink for any, either. Funny , that.

                  Once hell freezes over, I assume they will take some in?

                2. DavCrav

                  Re: Bah!

                  "The point is, SA is not a source of Islamic refugees at the moment."

                  The point is, Trump says it's because of terrorism, and Saudi Arabia has a track record of financing and producing terrorism that impacts on US soil, something that all the countries on the list don't. So something doesn't add up.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: Bah!

                    "The point is, Trump says it's because of terrorism, "

                    The Obama administration specifically cited these countries because "terrorism". Obama was personally, "muslim friendly" and therefore could not bring himself to act on this. There is also the issue of several of these countries not having systems in place that allow acceptable vetting of their citizens.

                    None of this is not a secret - unless you only watch MSNBC and CNN

              2. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Bah!

                It doesn't matter even a little bit, what you postulate might possibly have been the effect of the immigration EO had it been in effect at some time in the past. It wasn't, so get over it.

                The objective of the EO is forward looking! So using the best available information (from the previous administration) about issues with terrorism and refugees and states with poor internal tracking systems etc., SCOTUS looked in his crystal ball and said "if I stop people from these 7 places, I improve my chances of stopping future terrorists".

                Ask yourself how many of the 9/11 hijackers had valid visas and where might the next batch come from?

                Now, one could easily argue that Saudi Arabia should have been on the list for past "misdeeds" and current covert and overt support for terrorists (I would do so myself). They aren't just now, but it is not improbable in the future. Watch and learn

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: Bah!

                  I think you meant POTUS (President of the United States) vs. SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States)

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: Bah!

                    Apologies. Correct.

                  2. jake Silver badge

                    Re: Bah!

                    POTUS vs. SCOTUS is coming. It's inevitable. I've got the popcorn stockpiled & plenty of beer in the cooler for that one.

        2. Alt C

          Re: Bah!

          So Laser focused he still thinks voter fraud on an unprecedented scale took place because he can't stand having lost the popular vote?

          So Laser focused he took time out at a prayer meeting to discuss the ratings for the apprentice?

          yup looks like he's totally focused on being a President and not massaging his own ego.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

    So at least for the moment, you don't have to worry about people not being able to get back in the country.

    Second, you are talking immigrants/legal residents/refugees from Iran, Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and a few other countries. That's what? 1% of the population in Silicon Valley? Maybe 2%? Hardly enough to send the housing market into free fall.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

      That's not the problem - the problem is the arbitrary nature of the order, no details, no legal opinion, no rules.

      Did he intend this to stop British holiday makers in Costa Rica being able to fly home via Florida? Did it apply to US citizens? What about joint Canadian/US citizens? Nobody knows - it was upto individual officers to make a ruling.

      Who knows what the next arbitrary ruling will say? All muslims on the no-fly list? Or just US citizens born in certain countries, or perhaps all foreign born Americans?

      Or perhaps merely companies employing foreign born or muslims will be banned from government contracts or just defense contracts. So perhaps firms will have to start letting them go.

      The childish reaction to the court ruling might make people worry. What if the next executive order is interpreted by some heavily armed branch of government as a "who will rid me of this turbulent priest"

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

        Upvoted because "who will rid me of this turbulent priest"

    2. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Megaphone

      Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

      Rescinded? HELL NO! It's just a SINGLE SOLITARY ACTIVIST JUDGE who's too big for his britches, doing what LEFTIES have been doing for DECADES: using courts to LEGISLATE when they can't get what they want through NORMAL means.

      Thing is, it will FAIL, because the LAW as passed by Congress gives the president the RIGHT to determine who gets to come into the country by setting policy.

      And it affects so FEW legitimate people ANYWAY, silicon valley as a whole just doesn't have "standing" in this.

      BOO HOO HOO indeed!

      1. Alfred

        Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

        The LEFTIES are having the LAW applied. If you don't like the rule of law, that's your preference, but don't twist the facts to enable your double-think.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

          Law? To make the ruling the district judge had to convince himself that the State of Washington has suffered "irreparable harm" due to Trump's EO. No such harm has actually occurred, thus his ruling is a contorted mess and WILL be overruled. Just a matter of time.

          It's not a very good idea to allow single district judges to overrule a President in matters of national security. If it can happen once, it will start happening constantly, and then we're living under a tyranny of unelected judges. That would be bad.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

          "The LEFTIES are having the LAW applied. If you don't like the rule of law, that's your preference, but don't twist the facts to enable your double-think."

          He is not twisting the facts actually. He is right - 30 seconds with Google would have told you this.

          https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1182

          "(f) Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President

          Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline."

      2. strum

        Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

        >It's just a SINGLE SOLITARY ACTIVIST JUDGE

        ...who was appointed by GW Bush. You are a prat sometimes, Bob.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Well, first, the order has been rescinded by the courts...

          It doesn't matter who appointed him.

          Injunctions only hear one side of the story. The government have not had "their day in court" yet.

          It will be overturned on appeal.

  6. jake Silver badge

    Speaking as a ...

    ... Silly Con Valley native (born in Stanford Hospital,; K-12 mostly Palo Alto; Berkeley & Stanford for my first degrees), and a so-called "tech worker", I wouldn't live in that hell-hole rat-race if the realtors were paying me for the house! It just isn't worth it.

  7. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    "sell his house and make a profit"

    That sums up Silicon Valley housing well - Not buying a house to live in but to make a profit. Investors buy old houses at inflated costs, rent them without performing any maintenance, then sell them at an even more inflated price. Normal people don't buy a $1.5 million dollar fixer-upper shack, so it's just investors selling houses back and forth to each other and telling each other how rich they're going to be. It would make a lot of people happy if this pyramid scheme failed spectacularly.

    1. Aitor 1

      Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

      AS long as people continue buying tulip bulbs, all will be ok.

      Ups, sorry, wrong bubble ;)

    2. akeane

      Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

      "That sums up Silicon Valley housing well"

      s/"Silicon Valley housing"/"UK \"economy\""/g

    3. Blake St. Claire

      Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

      Seems to be a California thing. I wonder how many people know about or remember the SoCal pyramid parties of 1979/1980. Bring cash, just don't be the sucker that gets in the door late. They were finally shut down. Authorities said it was fraud, although I"m not sure how. The rules were simple and nobody was being forced to participate. There were long lines to get into some of them.

      But if you do it with houses I guess it's okay. Bring cash. Don't be the sucker that gets in too late.

      1. Peter2 Silver badge

        Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

        But it's not just a California thing. We have the same problem in the UK, where the absurd London property market pushes the London workers out to cities and towns further and further down the railway lines within two hours travel of London, as the workers would rather have a large 4 bedroom house and a big garden in a nice semi rural area for the price of a broom closet in London.

        The increased competition from out of area pushes the house prices up epically compared to what they would otherwise be. In the eyes of some people this is ok, and in the eyes of people who can't afford to buy houses near their workplaces and family/friends it is not.

        Politicians don't care. A cynic might observe that they can claim interest only mortgages at the taxpayers expense, encouraging them to speculate on the property markets (and they have made fortunes beyond the reach of the average lifetime earnings of their constituents by doing so, and have little reason to make changes).

        And so tension over this and a hundred other little issues slowly builds, and builds and builds as nothing is done and it's busily and systematically swept under the carpet because some people think "it's not really THAT bad...", generally those people who a cynic would say stand to gain from the situation.

        Moderate suggestions for resolving the problems are rejected in favour of inaction, and in time the moderates lose the will to continue the argument, and are replaced by more extreme voices, who have the energy to actually deliver some change. In time, the worsening situation drives more people towards the more extreme voices, until they end up driving changes through. When the cries of "but you can't do that" start, they pay about as much attention to these cries of anguish as was paid to them previously.

        And you then end up with Trump in power in the US, and Britain is on the way out of the EU. The now minority who "know better" (despite having caused the problem) then decry popularism. Ie, popular-ism. Ie, what's popular. What the majority of people in a democracy want. And all because those people didn't listen to other people's problems and refused to compromise in any way when it was worth doing so.

        Because after all, they "knew better".

        It'd be funny if it wasn't so serious.

        1. Eddy Ito

          Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

          I don't know about London but part of it is that politicians want expensive housing because they feel slighted by Prop 13 which limits how much they can raise property taxes. Essentially the property taxes are indexed to the sale price of the house and all the folks who bought years ago have much lower tax bills than the folks buying now. It's especially true in areas that are already well developed like San Fran since undeveloped areas get dinged with special taxes known as Mello-Roos which is why you find people paying a premium for older shacks which they can tear down and replace with a much grander house. All of this serves to limit the expansion of the housing market beyond the current geographic limits.

          It's also one of the reasons I laugh when I see websites with comparisons of taxes and see California ranking as having a low "effective" property tax. It's because it averages people who bought thirty years ago and their neighbor who bought last year. One pays a very small tax because it is limited to 2% increases where the other pays a much higher tax because the sale price is an order of magnitude higher as a result of the bubble boom.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

          But it's not just a California thing. We have the same problem in the UK, where the absurd London property market pushes the London workers out to cities and towns further and further down the railway lines within two hours travel of London, as the workers would rather have a large 4 bedroom house and a big garden in a nice semi rural area for the price of a broom closet in London.

          I think you'll find that is a common feature of "cities" - that more people want to live in nice places closer to things, and that drives up housing prices. It's not unique to Cali or London or NYC or Paris, or .....

          1. Eddy Ito

            Re: "sell his house and make a profit"

            I think you'll find that it is limited to only some "cities". Detroit, Indy, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and a whole bunch more don't have this problem. Granted it will take quite some time, if it happens at all, before San Jose and it's cousins look more like Detroit but don't think it can't happen. I'll wager Detroit never saw it coming until it was too late.

  8. TRT Silver badge

    I tried to order a pizza last night...

    One half a Mexicano, the other side an American Hot.

    1. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: I tried to order a pizza last night...

      Did you have to pay for the wall across it too?

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: I tried to order a pizza last night...

      I have ordered and manufactured a lot of pizza over the years. I have never in my life heard of either a "Mexicano" or an "American Hot". Care to elucidate?

      1. Stevie

        Re: I tried to order a pizza last night...

        Apparently not enough pizza in the wrong places.

        http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pizza-mexicana/28730bfb-97bf-4abd-bbb9-834132162ab9

        http://www.pizzafeed.org/dominos-menu/american-hot-pizza/

        Since the only decent pizza is New York pizza, I'll refrain from commenting on either of these recipes. Trying to make non-NY pizza taste right is an exercise in futility.

        *Thinks* Although the pizza we had in Edmonton that was one pizza with a crust made of another pizza came close to being NY good.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Good luck with that ;)

    The only thing that will really impact the Silicon Valley housing market is a major earthquake (6.0+), everything else is insignificant.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Good luck with that ;)

      A 6.0 is hardly worth getting out of bed for. 1989's "Loma Prieta" quake was a 6.9, and hardly touched Silly Con Valley. 42 of the 57 deaths in that quake were on Oakland's Cypress Structure on I880 (30 miles North of SV), 5 of the remainder were in a brick wall collapse in San Francisco (also 35 miles North of SV). Both had been flagged as probably unsafe in earthquakes. That leaves a whopping 10 deaths caused directly by the quake, in a major Urban area with around 6,000,000 people living in it (guestimate, from 1990 census data).

      Seems modern construction techniques actually work. Whodathunkit.

      Just to wrap this up, after Loma Prieta, housing prices were unaffected. In fact, the value of mine nearly quadrupled between 1989 and 1995, when I sold it.

  10. Ian Michael Gumby
    Boffin

    Meh! Stupidity at its best.

    "America's technology world is still trying to sort out the kerfuffle caused by President Trump's anti-refugee and seemingly anti-Muslim immigration crackdown."

    Uhm... Ok, lets get back to reality.

    The immigration thing was 90 days on seven countries which all have strong ties to terrorism.

    Iran has been identified as a state sponsor of terrorism. In Syria and Libya, ISIS has gained the ability to make fake documents. Looking at the others, they all have ISIS factions within their borders.

    These are also the 7 countries where Obama rescinded them from the Visa Waiver Program.

    So... ask yourself why Trump rescinded immigration for 90 days.

    From a legal perspective, what he did was legal and would withstand a court challenge. While several judges have issued TROs, Trump's lawyers at the DOJ could appeal and get rid of the TRO.

    Now... having said that... it was poorly implemented and there was a lot of confusion over it.

    Also it was a dumb idea.

    If I were a Silicone Valley CEO I'd worry more about the H1B numbers getting cut along with a salary increase that they have to pay an H1B.

    IMHO, those who are rioting and claiming that Trump is anti-immigration, think about the fact that his current wife is an immigrant. Also Obama banned immigration from Iraq for 6 months.

    There's more, but if people would jack their shit down and calm down ... think rationally, this is just noise. Give Trump a chance to do something really stupid... then you would have every excuse to exercise your 1st amendment rights.

    I'll bet that if Trump's DoJ and FBI were to prosecute Clinton under the Espionage Act (Which there is now conclusive proof she broke the law) a lot of the protesters will go away.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Meh! Stupidity at its best.

      Give Trump a chance to do something really stupid... then you would have every excuse to exercise your 1st amendment rights.

      Many would say he's already done something stupid. And surely the 1st amendment means Americans don't have to wait until then anyway...

      I'll bet that if Trump's DoJ and FBI were to prosecute Clinton under the Espionage Act (Which there is now conclusive proof she broke the law) a lot of the protesters go away.

      If you're referring to her use of a private email server, perhaps she has inspired the Trump types; reportedly they have come into office and carried right on using their own private email instead of official US government systems (see this Engadget article). As that article says, for one who laboured the point during the campaign so much to then go right ahead and do something essentially that same is, to put it mildly, taking the piss. Who do they think they are? Private citizens?

      1. JJKing
        Flame

        Re: Meh! Stupidity at its best.

        Why is it that there is never any mention of the 22 Million, that's right, TWENTY-TWO MILLION emails that went missing from Dubbya's private email server? Just Google "george w bush 22 million emails missing".

        Not only do you have Alternative Facts but you also have Alternative Memories and that must mean you come from an Alternative Reality. Scientist will owe you a debt of gratitude in finally proving that there really is an Alternative Universe.

        It's amazing how the alternative idiots pick and choose their alternative facts. If it doesn't agree with their distorted alternative narrative then it is swapped out for an alternative lie fact that does. You people are pathetic but there may be an alternative word for that.

        1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
          Holmes

          Re: Meh! Stupidity at its best.

          TWENTY-TWO MILLION emails that went missing from Dubbya's private email server?

          Well, I sure hope he didn't intend to read them.

          Funny, I seem to remember there used to be a "president" between Dubya and Trump, I forget his name. He was all about "looking forward, not back" and was always finding "red lines" in other people's backyards. Yeah, probably another republican.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Meh! Stupidity at its best.

            Whats-his-name was NOT a Republican!

            Was he...?

    2. Old Used Programmer

      Re: Meh! Stupidity at its best.

      15 of 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia. the most recent Paris attack was carried out by an Egyptian. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Egypt are on Trump's list. Of course, he has business interests in both those countries, so I guess that shouldn't be a surprise.

      If, as you claim, ISIS can forge documents, wouldn't you expect them to forge documents to show the bearer to be from a country without a travel ban...like Egypt or Saudi Arabia? Like the TSA...this is all a "security circus" rather than an actual security move.

  11. Baldy50

    chocolate fire guard?

    I agree!

    Funny when Asian tourists are told It's safer to go to Moscow than Paris, to see a bit of Europe's architecture and culture, Tourism is down a shit load in Paris and who could blame them.

    The louvre has been a problem for a long time with pick pocket's targeting visitors and maybe the guy was refused entry, so was pissed and attacked cos he was refused entry. They have CCTV of regulars, they ain't there to visit ya no! Screening works to a degree, time to clean house.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: chocolate fire guard?

      Because everybody in Baldy50's inner circle sees no reason to NOT carry a couple of machetes when visiting museums. To ward off the pickpocket's[0], no doubt.

      So yeah, the perp was upset at being refused entry. That's it. A-yup. Must be.

      ::nods head, slack jawed & drooling with the rest of the wingnuts::

      [0] The question remains ... the pickpocket's what, exactly? Breath?

  12. Haku

    I bet Donald has been having a tantrum(p) or two over the past couple of days:

    Trump bid to restore travel ban rejected - BBC News

    1. LaeMing
      Boffin

      Re: I bet Donald has been having a tantrum(p) or two over the past couple of days:

      I am pretty confident he is, for now, still under the popular impression that the US President can do anything (s)he wants like some sort of unaccountable and unrestricted dictator. Of course here in the real world, the US government was expressly set up to limit such power-focusing. For good reason, QED!

      1. Alan Brown Silver badge

        Re: I bet Donald has been having a tantrum(p) or two over the past couple of days:

        "The purpose of a president is not to wield power, but to draw attention away from those who do"

        1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
          Holmes

          Re: I bet Donald has been having a tantrum(p) or two over the past couple of days:

          I seriously doubt this can be kept rejected. It's not like the constitution is saying much about immigration, for obvious reasons.

          And if good old Saint Democrat FDR could put US citizens into concentration camps legally, well...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: I bet Donald has been having a tantrum(p) or two over the past couple of days:

            Careful D.A.M, or you'll become as hated by these bozos as I am.

            Say, if you're going to be letting the air out of them regularly, you think I could take a break? The waves of hate aren't relenting very much. Something's got them worked up to a fine froth, apparently.

  13. This post has been deleted by its author

  14. Tom 7

    Lack of immigrants to Silicon Valley is the least of their problems

    it looks as if Trump wants to repeal the rules brought in to try and stop another 2007/8 crash. That could be fun!

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Lack of immigrants to Silicon Valley is the least of their problems

      > try and stop another 2007/8 crash

      Er .... yeah?

      After 8 years of QE whatever and Obama shitonomics, how is that even supposed to be possible??

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Money before people

    Getting rid of enough people to have an effect would be tough to implement.

    ... and because no-one is willing to take leadership and make those "tough" decisions, money is the decider. The wealthy are welcome to come from afar and the poor must leave, regardless of their long-standing ancestry / ties to the area, contribution or service to the community / country etc. That's how things are prioritised in free-market "free" America, whose values must be imposed across the world.

  16. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Trollface

    Hmmm....

    The liburls are really reaching.

    Statue of Liberty was originally Muslim woman: February 4, 2017, 3:15 PM: One of the most persistent symbols of American life, the Statue of Liberty, began as a Muslim woman. CBSN's Reena Ninan has the backstory on Lady Liberty.

    So "Lady Liberty" has always secretly been "Lady Muslim Immigrant" (in a convoluted way) and no-one actually suspected! Holy Predator-pursued cow, Batman!

    I wonder how a travel ban on immigration, however ill-advised, can cause such painful clenching of the anal sphincter? This goes beyong "Freedom Fries" retardation, by far.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hmmm....

      And the leftist haters at Der Spiegel put Trump beheading Lady Liberty on the front of their rag, in the Islamist butcher style no less.

      That's what I like about the left, sooo classy!

  17. ecofeco Silver badge

    Cry me a river

    That regional market is WAY overpriced. Crap shacks of less than 1000sqft selling for a million or more.

    All I hear are dumbasses whining about being the last sucker.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Gumballs and immigration

    Something you leftist type wanting no countries and no borders, virtue signalling about immigration and refugees.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Gumballs and immigration

      Something you leftist type wanting no countries and no borders

      You seem to forget that it's businesses who want less border and immigration control so that they can hire cheaper workers.. and the businesses seem to be represented by the rightist types...

      Here's a hint - you can tell if a politician is right-wing if describing any regulation that could potentially reduce business profits as "a job-killing outrage".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Gumballs and immigration

        "You seem to forget that it's businesses who ... "

        You seem to forget that it's businesses who also ...

        FTFY

        Perhaps I should have used "Globalists" which seems to cover both political spectra.

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Gumballs and immigration

      Just as a meta-comment ... Ever notice that anyone who uses the term "virtue signalling" on any given topic can universally be summarily ignored thereafter when it comes to that particular topic?

      Not quite the same category as Godwin, but right up there with "cyber-anything".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Gumballs and immigration

        People who blindly advocate for increased refugee, no borders etc. numbers are in fact "virtue signalling". I did not point to any specific commentard, but there appear to be more than one on The Register that fit the bill.

        These same people are also guilty of an inability to understand large numbers, specifically the numbers of people in the world. Thus the link.

        Maybe you should have watched it? Perhaps you might have some pithy and intelligent comment on it as well?

  19. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    "Trump!" said the elephant

    Elephant in the room: Saudi Arabia. When President Trump deals with the Saudis on the same terms as he does with the Iranians, I'll believe he's serious.

    Frankly my experience has been that the Iranians are quite sensible, but the Saudis have a firm grasp on the President's balls (and the last one, and the one before that, and)...and, having a shared passion for money, he seems to like it.

  20. Herby
    Happy

    What? Me Worry??

    Not a bit. Having lived in silly con valley all my life (excepting a 9 month tour of a school in Concord NH), I find it amazing. Housing prices have gone all over the map.

    The most recent escapade is the house I bought in 1984 for about $180k, is now appraised at $1.1M (I just finished a re-fi!). I just wonder how the rest of the country gets along with prices like that. For the cost of the house here on a small lot (about 1/10 acre or so), you can get a BIG SPREAD elsewhere in the country, even more if it isn't on a coastal state.

    Thankfully I haven't moved out of the area, because if I had, I wouldn't be able to move back!

    Life goes on (*SIGH*)

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: What? Me Worry??

      Herby, do I know you?

      Did you grow up in a house that was picked up & moved about 35 years ago?

  21. DocJD

    What's the problem?

    I don't imagine there are that many Syrians, Somalis etc. working in silicon valley. Also, as far as I know, the temporary ban is on new arrivals, not deporting people already living here. Anyone making up bogeymen under the bed by claiming a ban is likely to be announced on other random countries at any time is either delusional or just trying to stir up crap.

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